big airlines decide not to pass on savings from a temporary government tax halt to consumers. >>> and sticker shock. a japanese department store offers one of the most expensive a japanese department store offers one of the most expensive box lunches ever. captions paid for by nbc-universal television hello, and good morning. i'm amara sohn. today we begin with dueling over the debt. president obama and house speaker john boehner escalated the battle over the debt limit last night. they both appealed to american television viewers in speeches that reflect the two sides being farther apart than ever on the issue. nbc's tracie potts has more from washington. >> reporter: we're now one week away from this possible default deadline and it looks like the white house and congress are no closer to a deal today. >> this is no way to run the greatest country on earth. it's a dangerous game that we've never played before and we can't afford to play it now. >> reporter: president obama is taking his behind-closed-doors fight public to pressure republicans into. >> the president wanted a blank ch